The government shutdown extended its dead hand to the automotive industry when the Environmental Protection Agency had to stop certifying new cars for sale in the US. Ram was halfway through the process with its new heavy-duty truck when the shutdown happened, but the automaker is back in action now.

Ram announced this week that the EPA finally certified the 2019 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup for sale in the US, including both gasoline and diesel variants. It had already received certification for the 2500 prior to the shutdown. "FCA US is grateful to the US Environmental Protection Agency for expediting this process," the company said in a statement.

There's still a ways to go before the trucks actually land at dealers, though. The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty lineup is slated to launch in the second quarter, so there's no need to brave a polar vortex to pick one up (at least I hope).

In the middle of the shutdown, Automotive News reported that even though Ford and GM had certifications in the queue, neither was concerned, given how long it would be until those models were actually offered for sale. Ram seemed to be in the worst spot, but now that everything has cleared up, it appears to be smooth sailing for the auto industry once more.

The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty lineup launched at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. Boasting a mind-warping 1,000 pound-feet of torque when equipped with its 6.7-liter Cummins diesel I6, it's the first heavy-duty truck to break the four-digit torque barrier. It'll tow up to 35,100 pounds and haul up to 7,680 in the bed. Yowza.